House Republican Caucus
Virginia House of Delegates Republican Caucus
Dem Leader Armstrong Schooled in Parliamentary Procedure
Mar 19th
Welcome to a new feature on the House Republican Caucus Blog—the Puckish Parliamentarian, which will bring you entertaining notes from the House floor.
It seems appropriate to release this installment for the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Jefferson-Jackson Weekend, which, according to the Washington Post, includes an address by Del. Ward Armstrong (D-Henry), but “no A-list speaker.” With Armstrong getting dissed by the Post, we thought we ought to feature him here.
In the first installment of the Puckish Parliamentarian, Armstrong, the House Minority Leader, returns to his favorite grandstanding topic for the 2010 Session—electricity rates.
Seeking one more chance to talk about a bill Armstrong himself admits won’t actually solve a problem, he offered a motion to discharge a committee, a rarely-used motion, which Del. Lacey Putney (I-Bedford), currently in his 49th year in the House, never recalls being agreed to.
House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith (R-Salem) handles opposition to the motion for the Majority. The real fun starts when Del. Joe Johnson (D-Abingdon), the Puck in this installment of the Puckish Parliamentarian, engages Armstrong in a series of questions.
Del. Armstrong’s motion failed, 26-69. The Democratic Caucus has 39 members, only 2 out of 3 supported their leader.
Gov. McDonnell had already signed HB 1308, a bill by Del. Bill Carrico (R-Grayson), that actually provided immediate relief on electric bills.
Lohr Named Ag Commissioner
Mar 16th
Gov. Bob McDonnell announced his appointment of Delegate Matt Lohr as the next Commissioner of of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) (see Gov. McDonnell’s press release).
Speaker Howell commented on Lohr’s announcement:
Matt Lohr is a talented, hard-working and respected leader on agricultural and farming issues, which makes him an exceptionally fine choice for this important position.
Lohr was first elected to the House in 2005 and is currently serving his 3rd term representing the 26th district, made up of the City of Harrisonburg and part of Rockingham County.
Lohr has been a life-long leader in Agriculture. He lives with his wife, Andrea, and their children, Caroline Belle and Carson Jacob, on a working farm that’s been in Lohr’s family for over 100 years. In High School, Matt was president of Virginia Future Farmers of America (FFA) and then served as vice-president of the National FFA Organization. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 1995. In addition to working the family farm, Matt has taught agricultural science, served as president of the Broadway–Timberville Ruritan Club, served as president of the Rockingham County Farm Bureau twice, chaired the Rockingham County Planning Commission, and most recently chaired the Rockingham County School Board. Matt and his family are also active members and leaders at Harrisonburg Baptist Church.
In the House of Delegates, Matt serves on the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee, and chaired its Agriculture Subcommittee.
Putney Reports Budget Conference Agreement to the House
Mar 14th
Today, Chairman Lacey E. Putney summarized the provisions of the State Budget conference report adopted by the House and Senate today. This press release includes his prepared remarks.
Republican Successes as 2010 Session Ends
Mar 14th
As the House adjourned sine die, Speaker Howell issued a press release on the many legislative successes of the House in the 2010 session.
The State Budget contained many of the key accomplishments of the session, including rejection of former Governor Kaine’s 17 percent income tax hike, and a reduction in state spending for the first time in recent memory. In fact, the 2010-2012 Biennial Budget returns general fund spending to 2006 levels.